The Case of the Quilombola Communities of Alcântara vs. Brazil:

a portrait of the treatment given to the right to housing in Brazil

Abstract

The present study will address the Case of the Maroons’s Communities of Alcântara vs. Brazil, which was submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (I/A Court H.R.) in 2022, after Brazil failed to comply with the recommendations made by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). In this analysis, it will be important to mention how the construction of the Alcântara Launch Center took place, which involved the removal of several families and the continuous violation of human rights, which has lasted for several decades. Likewise, attempts to hand over the launch base to international exploration will be addressed, prioritizing agreements that are not beneficial to Brazil. The analysis of the case will demonstrate that the treatment given to the Alcântara’s maroons is a picture of the treatment given to all populations that are dispossessed for different reasons, being displaced, deprived of their properties and their rights violated in multiple ways. The analysis will point the need for greater protection for all citizens facing an expropriation process.